Motion Picture News (May-Jun 1922)

3228 Motion Picture N e v w s H Hays’ Constructive Effort f Continued from page 3-221 ) can in any way bring condemnation upon the Universal or upon the picture business. " Our record has been good in the past, but we now intend to make it one hundred per cent good, and I herewith serve friendly notice upon each and every Universal employee from the highest to the lowest, that I shall not be satisfied with anything less than one hundred per cent of co-operation along this line. “ Read Mr. Hays’s letter carefully and remember that every word of it means business ; and the Universal intends to stand back of it to the limit. “ Sincerely, (Signed) “Carl Laemmle.” That the organized movement within the industry for “ clean productions ” is meeting with recognition outside of film circles is evidenced by an editorial published in the Los Angeles “ Examiner ” on May 23rd. After declaring that the _______ improvement of motion pictures cannot be so well accomplished by censors and outside forces as “ by the film people themselves,” the editorial continues as follows : “ Recently was formed the Federation of Arts, on whose board of control are represented the American Society of Cinematographers, the Motion Picture Directors’ Associations, the Screen Writers’ Guild and the Motion Picture Actors’ Association of California. “ It is gratifying to learn that so representative, responsible and influential a body has adopted the following as the avowed purport of their organization: “ ‘ Qualification for participation requires that every individual conduct himself or herself according to the standards of common decency. “ ‘ The Federation pledges the members to eliminate from the arts and professions and allied crafts any individuals who violate the principles or spirit of the Federation of Arts by conduct tending to bring disgrace or scandal upon themselves or their fellows. “ ‘ Clean pictures by clean people will solve the censorship problem and, incidentally, bring back to normal the attendance at the theatres.’ ” New London Organization for Universal WITH the formation in London this week of the European Motion Picture Company, Limited, it is announced that that organization in future will distribute the entire forthcoming product of the Universal Film Manufacturing Company. The London office will be at 167-169 Wardour Street. Pictures and People ( Continued from page 3223) Roberts, or any of the players who lead in what critics of the stage claim is almost a lost art — pantomime. If Jackie is to go the way of the average child prodigy, we hope he never grows up. AYE you ever watched an oarsman pulling against a strong current? Long, sweeping strokes, with a final punch in the deft twist of the wrist as he completes each stroke. A ripple of 1 cater under the nose of the scull marks his headway, steady, unf altering, against the tide. You admire. Certainly! Progress against odds always wins our admiration. The oarsman, pausing for wind, rests on his oars — just a moment. The headway is lost. The oarsman and his scull, gripped by the current, are whirled back — and in that moment, all the ground gained by those long, hard pulls is lost. There's a thought here for the exhibitor who is contemplating a close-down for the summer slump. How about that current of patronage and good-will that constitutes the exhibitor's stream of trade ? Let him close shop — and rest on his oars — just for awhile, and the trade and good-will he has built up is gone, gone in all likelihood to the other fellow who has kept pulling despite the odds. Carl Laemmle expresses the same thought this iceek in another way. He says: “A tremendous percentage of the business done in this world is based on HABIT. Your patrons have the MOVIE HABIT. Every exhibitor who closes his theatre in the hot months or who even thinks he would really make or save money by such a plan is guilty of breaking the movie habit of his patrons. Far better to keep open so they can come if they want to come than to force them to find some other tray of amusing themselves. Let them once form other habits and find other trays of spending their time ,and it will cost you a lot more to get them back in the fall than you ‘saved' by shutting your doors in their faces." Mr. Laemmle has hit the nail “ on the thumb." Close up and lay on the oars — and away goes your goortvill and patronage downstream with the rest of jetsam. Cohen Urges Compactness ( Continued from page 3225) big and was entitled to the almost unanimous endorsement he received. You cannot deny that Mr. Cohen went more than half way to effect a reconciliation even after he saw that the delegations were practically all with him. Monday he invited Senator W alker and his friends to come to the convention and state their grievances, if they had any. Doesn’t sound like Cohen had anything to fear and is certainly an opening to all concerned to get together. Tuesday after Senator Walker made his attack and Cohen answered it all in about five minutes and when the convention was voting their confidence in Cohen some one amended this vote to include Senator Walker. COHEN SECONDED THIS AMENDMENT. Pretty good spirt. Wednesday, after Cohen’s re-election presidency and with everything Collect Privilege on Canadian Shipments Restored Announcement was made during the week by the Traffic Department, American Railway Express, that on June 15th the company would rescind the rule requiring the prepayment of charges on shipments to Canada, and restore the collect privilege. .The shipper can, after that date, ship prepaid or collect, as he prefers, declares the announcement. This rule, requiring prepayment on such traffic, has been in effect since April 1, 1920, and was invoked to protect the carrier against loss due to the high rate of exchange between the United States and Canada, which at times has reached 20 per cent. Improved financial conditions have brought the discount rate down to approximately il/2 per cent. Movie Players Carnival This Week in New York 1 he Movie Players Carnival opened on Monday of this week at the Starlight Amusement Park, New’ York City, and continues until Saturday, June 10th. A daily change in program has been arranged with popular stars and directors in the East in attendance each day. Juvenile talent was also a feature of the week’s program with Miriam Battista, Rita Rogan, Baby Peggy Rice, the Kurtzo Twins, and other clever child players among the headliners. to the presidency and — won yet the first thing Cohen states was that he hoped Senator Walker would tm j r some way be influenced to come back. 1 hursday for the banquet Cohen sent a committee of three to personally invite Senator Walker to be our guest. And so it went on every day. Like a rock of Gibraltar Cohen stood out day after day inviting criticisms, attacks or whatever the fates had in store for him and coolly and calmly he answered every attack launched on him and absolutely vindicated himself of the few small things he was charged with. :?urely, if Mr. Cohen was anything but a " square shooter Mr. W ill Hays nor Mr. Zukor nor Mr. Loew nor Mr. Hodkinson would have graced the banquet table and would not have pledged their cooperation to the M. P T. O. A. Evidently they think the M. P. T. u A and. ,ts president all to the good and worth working with, so why the continued attacks on Mr. Uohen now that it is all over and all concerned should pull for the organization he represents, for to continue to attack him now only means to attack the organization and surely you nor any of the other trade papers wants the exhibiting interests to think that the organization is being attacked. Personally I am for the organization above any individual and at the Convention had any one brought forward a candidate for president with a better past record and better prospects for the future than Mr. ( ohen could show, I would have voted and supported the new entry but that man wasn’t there and I voted and will now support Mr. Cohen as president of my organization until a new president is elected and no matter who the new president may be he will get my support next year just the same as Mr. Cohen should now get everybody’s support. After all is said and done Mr. Cohen was just a victim of “ The Whisper Market ” a lot of hints and baseless rumors but not a man from any delegation nor any representative present at the convention had anything definite to say against Mr. Cohen or his administration that could reflect against any of their characters nor integrity. Suppose we all bury the hatchets and all pull together for the M. P. T. O. A. and help make it the great wonderful organization it is intended to be and will be if given support. Why not use this for your next editorial? With kindest regards, Yours verv truly, (Signed) S. H. BORISKY. William Fox Entertained by British Exhibitors W' TLLIAM FOX was the guest of honor at a large gathering of British theatre owners and managers in London at the Hotel Metropole on Friday, June 2nd. Mr. Fox donated $10,000 to head the exhibitors’ fighting fund against the 25 per cent, turn-over entertainment tax. The entire fund subscribed reached over $40,000.